Not to decide is to decide. That's what a social worker friend always used to say.   As I navigated a career in finance, the idea of goal setting and planning the steps toward achievement easily resonated with me. I was really good at it. Not just making a plan but getting the results. A lot of it is about focus. And being honest when you check yourself against the plan.   As such, it wasn't much of a stretch to develop a 5 year plan for my artistic endeavors when I retired from healthcare finance three year ago. Not a stretch. In fact, it's [...]

While bees danced along the tops of the flowers, chickens yukked it up in the background. [...]

  Sure it was mid July, but it was also the Pacific Northwest.  A cool, brisk wind blew occasional rain as I set up to paint the swift, outbound tide at Indian Island.   A weighted down easel helped to steady the effort. That was the only thing that was steady. Layers of clouds came and went. Reflections on the water changed from light to dark to light again. Gusts worked their way into the breeze. Rain threatened, teased, retreated. Hollowing out pools that hugged the base of the bluff, the tide water flowed seaward past a series of spits.   What a grand day to watch [...]

The air was already beginning to cool, the leaf colors to change. The sky let loose an occasional drizzle. Autumn was transitioning into winter. Before she fully arrived, we decided to take advantage of one of the remaining pleasant days by hiking in Dosewalips State Park. Located on the Hood Canal, this park includes a large tidal estuary and some of the nation's best clams and oysters that are there for the taking.   Beginning our hike, we passed a herd of Roosevelt Elk that grazed among the picnic sites. Canadian Geese could be heard before they were seen on their fly-by. Immense [...]

Summer months bring some super low tides to Puget Sound. One morning's estimate of a minus 3 foot tide called me to North Beach to see what the seas hid from us underwater for most of the year. [...]

Getting together with friends to paint from life outdoors (en plein air) is intoxicating! The inspiration is never far away especially when you live in the Pacific Northwest. It is also one of the best ways to grow as a representational artist. [...]